MINI Reveals Results of Electric Vehicle Trials +VIDEO

MINI E - electric

LONDON - August 18, 2011: Earlier this month MINI (part of the BMW
Group) presented the details of the UK's most in-depth electric vehicle
consumer tests. The test group consisted of sixty-two members of the public and seventy-six pool users
running the battery-powered hatchbacks over two six-month periods

An enormous amount of data was collected electronically by data-loggers
in the car and the home charging points, and also from extensive driver
research carried out by Oxford Brookes University. The early findings have
already informed the development of the 2011 BMW ActiveE car, a four-seat
car based on the BMW 1 Series Coupe, but the biggest beneficiary will be
the BMW i3, the first purpose-built EV from the BMW Group, set for launch
in 2013. This information has also helped to inform UK policy-making
decisions and other EV market stakeholders.

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The UK trial discovered that everyday use of the electric MINIs
didn’t radically differ from the typical driving patterns of a
control group of drivers of conventionally powered cars in the same
segment. In fact, the daily journey distance of 29.7 miles was slightly
more than the 26.5 miles recorded by the control cars, a mix of MINI
Coopers and BMW 116i models. Interestingly, the UK average daily distance
driven for private cars overall is less than 25 miles. With information
gathered by on-board data-loggers, the average single trip distance was
recorded as 9.5 miles compared to the UK average of seven miles.

Four out of five people reported that 80 percent of their trips could be
done exclusively in the MINI E, and this increased to 90 per cent of users
saying that with the addition of rear seats and a bigger boot, all their
trips could have been done in the MINI E. 84 percent said that severe the
severe low temperatures during both phases of the field trial affected the
distance that could be driven between charges, but despite that, four out
of five participants told the researchers they thought the MINI E was
suitable for winter use, with one user, Janet Borgers, saying she
“regularly did 88 miles in a single journey in the cold
weather”. Another female commuter clocked up almost 8,000 miles over
a September to March period.

Given the daily driven distance of just under 30 miles, the drivers felt
confident enough not to have to charge their MINI E every night. In fact,
the average was 2.9 times a week according to information fed back via
electricity smart meters, with special night-time tariffs successfully
encouraging individual drivers to charge when it was cheapest, which
coincided with a low demand period and a greater proportion of renewable
energy in the grid mix.

Nine out of ten drivers told the researchers that charging actually
suited their daily routine, with 81 percent agreeing with the statement
“I prefer to plug in the car than go to a fuel station”. The
running cost-savings were appreciated by users, with one participant
telling researchers the thing she’d miss most was: “the money I
will have to start paying for fuel again!”

Most charged at home, with 82 percent using their wall-mounted charging
box 90 percent of the time. The lack of a comprehensive public charging
infrastructure in the UK was noted, with four out of five participants (82
percent) saying they thought that it was “essential” that a
network of charging points was established. However, almost three quarters
(72 percent) said they were able to use their car perfectly adequately
right now as they had access to private charging.

Asked about their driving experience, the trial participants were full
of praise. Every single one enjoyed the quietness, with one user quoted as
saying: “I like the silence – it’s very futuristic and it
causes a reaction when people notice you pull away without making a
sound.” And they all agreed with the statement: “electric
vehicles are fun to drive.” The reason was partly down to the
“fast pick-up and quick acceleration” of the 204hp MINI, again
a statement that 100 percent agreed with. One even went so far to say it
was “absolutely the best car I have ever driven”.

Driving efficiently to extend the range was seen as part of the
enjoyment rather than a chore. Understanding that use of the regenerative
braking could increase the range by approximately 15 percent, three
quarters of the users (74 percent) agreed with the statement that it was
“a game for me to use the regenerative braking in a way that enables
me to reach my destination without draining the battery.”

Asked by the Oxford Brookes University researchers for suggestions to
deal with the potential danger from the low noise at low speeds, over half
(56 percent) said that instead of an artificial noise, the driver should
pay more attention. However just over a quarter (28 per cent) said
they’d like to have a warning noise below 12.5mph.

Almost all participants (96 per cent) said they’d consider buying
an electric car as a result of taking part, and half (51 percent) revealed
they would pay a third more for an EV. A third (30 percent) said
they’d consider taking the plunge within a year, while 55 percent
said they’d hold fire for two or more years.

The trial found that one week was all that was needed for customers to
adapt to the characteristics and peculiarities of driving an EV, such as
charging, range, regenerative braking and low noise. However those company
car drivers invited to use the MINI E as a pool car on a less frequent
basis needed increased training and support during the initial period of
vehicle use in order to consolidate their learning.

Fleet use was a big part of the trial with organisations in the UK and
in Europe reporting positive feedback from both individual drivers and also
fleet managers monitoring the MINI E’s use as a pool car. Those users
who swapped out of their regular car reported that the MINI E was fine for
70 percent of journeys made during the working day, while the pool car
success rate was even better with between 80-90 percent of regular trips
achievable.

The speed of charging was an important consideration for fleet users,
while managers also flagged up the need for a clear procedure for the
efficient charging of pool vehicles. Companies that participated included
Scottish and Southern Energy, Oxfordshire County Council, and Oxford City
Council.

The MINI E trial was one of eight UK projects supported by the £25m
Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Programme, funded by the Technology
Strategy Board and Department for Transport. These are aimed at bringing
forward the introduction of viable electric passenger vehicles to the
UK.

Suzanne Gray, General Manager of BMW i said: “The feedback from
the trial has been invaluable in helping our understanding of how people
really respond to electric cars and other factors necessary to support
electric car drivers. With this information we will be in a strong position
to provide a well-rounded product and service proposition to customers of
the BMW i3 and to work with other players in the electric vehicle market to
make it a successful experience for a new generation of users.”

Kulveer Ranger, Mayor of London's environment director, said: 'Electric
driving technology is coming on leaps and bounds, but people naturally
still have questions and concerns. Research such as this by BMW Group into
real life experiences is invaluable as it debunks some common myths and
underscores why electric vehicles are perfect for urban driving. The trial
has also demonstrated the importance attached to supporting infrastructure,
which is why the Mayor of London has launched Source London to provide a
network of charge points that will help to create optimal conditions for
electric vehicle use in the UK’s capital.’

The MINI E is a two-seat development of the familiar MINI Hatch. It is
powered by a 204hp electric motor that also generates 220 Nm of torque. It
is driven by battery power in the form of a sophisticated 35 kWh
Lithium-Ion battery containing 5,088 cells. The battery was charged by a
special home charger supplied by consortium partner Scottish and Southern
Energy. This enables a charge time of 3.5 hours at 32 amps. The MINI E has
a top speed of 95mph and an official range of 149 miles (according to FTP72
standards), although a realistic range is 112miles.

The UK field trial mirrored those on the East and West coasts of the
USA, in both Munich and Berlin; Paris; Tokyo and Beijing and Shenzhen. In
the UK 40 MINI Es were driven from December 2009 until March 2011. The 40
private MINI E Pioneers were selected from applicants in the South East of
England and paid a subsidised monthly lease cost of £330. The remainder
were fleet drivers with an individual car nominated by their company. They
represented a mix of males and females from a cross section of
income-groups, education backgrounds, urban/rural dwellers, family sizes
and annual mileages. Drivers with access to a MINI E pool car also formed
part of the study.

The UK Consortium members who have supported the MINI E trials are
Scottish and Southern Energy who supplied the home /public charging
technology and energy, Oxford Brookes University who devised the research
methodology, selected participants and analysed data from users, SEEDA who
provided funding support and enabled the participation of Oxford City
Council and Oxfordshire County Council, and the BMW Group who led the
Consortium, supplied the MINI E and managed driver education and
support.

The 40 MINI Es are still on UK roads in partnership activities which
continue to promote awareness and understanding of electric vehicles, and
they will form part of the BMW Group UK’s official vehicle fleet for
the London 2012 Olympic Games.

BMW’s battery vehicle research extends back to the deployment of
an electric BMW 1602 during the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972 using
lead-acid batteries.

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